More on Faith and Family Alliance

Norman Leahy over at Tertium Quids is upping the ante on the Abramoff front group, Faith and Family Alliance. He takes Tim Phillips and Philip Cox to task:

He's right when he say this will make things awkward for a lot of folks. But I think the real targets here aren't necessarily Pat Mullins or Bob McDonnell. Rather, they are the consultants who brought the Faith and Family Alliance together in the first place -- Tim Phillips and Phil Cox. Both of them, for reasons that continue to amaze me, are somehow highly regarded in some Republican and conservative circles.

Neither gentleman has answered for the extraordinarily shady actions of the FFA -- which, according to its disgraced (and jailed) former director, Robin Vanderwall, was little more than a money laundering operation for the now-incarcerated Jack Abramoff.

If these two keen consultants -- who, again -- maintain a level of trust within certain Virginia political circles were unaware of this, then their reputations as smart operators are vastly overblown. If they did know, then the obvious question is why they haven't been held accountable for the FFA's activities.

So much of what is wrong with Virginia politics can be traced directly back to the clubby, and somewhat sleazy, consulting class that continues to enrich itself at the expense of all else. It's high-time for a strong dose of sunlight to shine on their actions. And focusing that light on the string-pullers behind the FFA would be an excellent place to start.